Ironman New Zealand

I signed for my second Ironman today: Ironman New Zealand. It's destination time again. Another Ironman? Ick. The training was intense and annoying, but I loved it. So should I do it or ask for a partial refund? Not sure. It's not until March 2012, so we'll see what happens from now until then.

Ironman

I entered the Ironman lottery to go to the World Championships in Hawaii. Guess what? Yet again, my name is not on the list. .Wasn't meant to be...NYC and Hawaii weren't meant to happen this year. But I have the SLC half, Lima, Peru full, Great Wall of China full and a tri, so can't complain. Someday, somewhere my name will be on a list. I am hopeful. Doing another quick aquathon race this evening (swim and run).

Good Traveling News

April 16-18th: Salt Lake City to run a half marathon (No Boston Marathon for me that weekend. Someday, like maybe in 20 years or when pigs fly, whichever comes first)
April 23rd-25th: Running in Los Angeles and celebrating my birthday, which actually falls on the 27th
April 30th-May 2nd: Lima, Peru Marathon and visiting a very good Peruvian friend
May 10th-May 18th: Great Wall of China marathon

Plus, a duathlon and a triathlon in between those events...but not training much since Ironman Arizona. Oh well, finish times do not matter, right? Wrong, but I'll have to try not care :)

My roommate of 7 years moved out and I'm living solo. Yes, I have a security system!

Daydreaming about...

A marathon finish time such as this:

Competing in another Ironman in an exotic locale

Beautiful Channing Tatum

British Daniel Craig

Australian Curtis Stone

Academy Award Nominee Jeremy Renner

Triathlons and training

It has been 2 months now since Ironman and I didn't go through the typical depression after a big-time race. I went through a euphoria for two weeks, then back to normal. I am always planning the next race and don't want to stop training, so I don't usually go through a down phase after crossing a major finish line.

However, with that being said, I have gone through major, major difficulties in stamina. My endurance isn't what it was before Ironman when I was doing 5 hour bike rides followed the next day by a 15-20 mile run and swim. Now, I have a hard time mustering 13 miles of running. I did 15 miles last weekend and could barely muster the energy past mile 12. I have planned on doing a marathon on Valentine's day (as I thought that is the perfect way to spend a silly holiday), but now not so sure. I should run 20 miles this weekend and see. If I don't make it, I'll switch to a half marathon on Feb. 14th and complete a full in the spring... maybe 2 fulls in the spring when I'm hoping my stamina level is back and 20 miles is a walk in the park like it used to be pre-Ironman.

I am also planning my international marathon and very excited at where I will be heading. I will also find out if I won the lottery into the NYC marathon.

Plus, triathlon season is just around the corner. Unfortunately, I do not hear the pool calling my name. I can, though, hear my goggles yelling "don't touch, don't touch." Hmmm...

2009 Reflected

2009 was a good year to me. I had some great achievements and some losses. Here is 2009 in remembrance:

1. Finishing Ironman. I completed Ironman Arizona after months of very long weekends spent on my bike and in my running shoes and swimming laps in the pool. During the heat of the summer, I had to awake in the 4 o'clock hour to beat the triple digit temps. But, when all is said and done, I crossed the finish line to a very challenging endurance event and now I am an Ironman finisher. It was an amazing euphoria.

2. Running the Copenhagen marathon. In my quest to run a marathon on every continent, I participated in this Denmark race and visited the land of models, aka Sweden, while there.

3. My best birthday ever. I went to LA to the Festival of Books and personally met my future husband Curtis Stone. He signed his new cookbook and wrote "happy, happy birthday Jennifer." Sigh :) My dad also surprised me and appeared in Newport Beach in California on my birthday. I was so happy that weekend and nothing will top that b-day.

4. Getting braces on and off. For four months I had these ugly white braces which made me feel like I was 12 years old. But after a quick 4 months, they were removed and a straighter smile was found beneath that gastly metal. I now smile in photographs. Yes, it was dang expensive and yes, it was worth every penny.

5. Seeing Dinner Impossible filmed in person. At an Ironman dinner, the Food Network was filming the show right in front of me. Robert Irvine was feeding hungry triathletes. As a Food Network addict, I was giddy as a school girl. You can ask anyone who was there.

6. My brother moving to Utah. He got a job in Herriman and took off :(

7. A major bike accident in July that left me with stitches, a sprained wrist and scars for life. I completely lost consciousness in my fall and luckily two men driving by found me.

8. A friendship ending. I received a letter by mail from a friend that I have known for 9 years now. She was very candid in her letter explaining all the things she didn't like about me. It made me change the way I view things and I feel like a much more positive person because of it. I tried to take a sad situation and turn it into a learning experience. I also ended a friendship with another person. Sometimes in life you have to learn to let go to become something better.

9. Not getting a wanted opportunity. Enough said about that.

10. Participating in 30 races. This was a year devoted to training and racing. I competed in events ranging from a 5K to a full Ironman. My muscles can feel it and after Ironman my stamina isn't what it was before the race, but I am proud of my accomplishments in my marathon and triathlon life.

Here's to a wonderful 2010! I am looking forward to it. I will have to write down my new year's resolutions.

Nathan's Triathlon

On Sunday I participated in Nathan's Olympic Triathlon. I did this race two years ago and got into a very nasty bike accident. My bike came into pieces and I ended up in physical therapy for 3 months. But I did finish the race in 3 hours with the bike accident.

Sunday's race took me 3:17 and it was so frustrating. The swim took me 13 minutes longer than it did in 2007 and so that really screwed with my head for the rest of the race. My self talk was really negative because I thought I was so much slower in swimming, which doesn't make any sense because I have been swimming so much more than I ever have. So I was really bummed out. My bike took a while and then on the run, for the first time in my life, I got a side stitch. It felt like a hernia. I heard that to rid yourself of the stitch, you walk with your arms over your head leaning to to the side with the stitch. So I did and within 5 minutes it went away, but I did have to walk a little. I've never walked in a triathlon ever. So really frustrating experience.

Then I find out that the swim course was 300 m longer than it was supposed to be and even the elite athletes had their worst swim times. But still a frustrating race.

After the race, one of the ladies in my training group said to me, "well, maybe Ironman just isn't for you." I think that was the most hurtful thing anyone has ever said to me. I came home, got down on the floor and cried for 2 hours straight. I haven't even cried like that over a guy.

Maybe she is right. Or maybe that was just rude to poop on someone's goals like that. My coach told me that is wrong and that I am ready for it. Another girl told me yes, I should do the race. So it's nice to know I do have some supportive people behind me.

My mom thinks my priorities are screwed up. But my mom says that about everything in my life.

I have a hobby and I (usually) enjoy it (except for this race).

Moving forward

So I'm still moving forward with Ironman training. I swam 3300m yesterday and it was fine. Boring to swim all those laps, but fine nonetheless. I also swam this morning again at 6am and have sprints tonight.

I purchased a waterproof ipod case to swim and listen to music, so maybe that will help. See how that works out for me. I haven't received it yet.

I will see how my training adds up for the next month and then go from there. I don't know. I still feel very, very behind. I am not quick nor feel as conditioned as I should be by now I think.

Ironman training has been very interesting and wonderful and frustrating all at the same time. My body is now doing very weird things that is has never done before. So we'll see what happens, hopefully it'll work out, but if not...I'll cry.

I've always really loved triathlons. I like individual sports where I am just challenged by my own self and not by a team. I like the conditioning of it and the fact that my body can't plateau. Every workout everyday is different. I like the challenge; I like the racing; I actually like being a slave to a regimented schedule. I need that or I slack. But it is stressful and hard and I am having flashbacks to junior high days when I was not an athlete at all. It's bringing up some really bad memories, which I've never experienced in any other training I've ever done before...even for half ironmans, which are fairly grueling in training.

But we'll see. I will be an Ironman someday.

Weekend

On Saturday I biked 3 hours with my group and then we ran 4 miles, but it was so hot that we had to cut our workout short. We were supposed to do 4 hours of biking. It's been 113 almost everyday and tomorrow is September! We have been breaking heat records and I'm about ready to lose it. I tried to run yesterday and it was 10 miles that took me longer than any half marathon time I have run. I just don't know if I will be ready and it's been a bit of a heartbreaking weekend.

I hear how everyone is swimming 4000 meters already and I'm just not there. My swimming is behind and it's too hot to get in the full workouts. I've never given up on any physical challenge I've been given, so don't know what to do. But I just can't train in this heat and I'm too slow in swimming. Really sad right now, but we'll see. Maybe I can still pull it off. It's something I've been wanting for a very long time and signed up for this race in April 2008.

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday was spent with a large group of people consuming excessive amounts of food--just the way Easter should be spent. I started the day with a trip to the park to see all the children dressed in their Easter best--hoards of families picnicing, bbqing, playing football, and children feeding the ducks. One gentleman put a smile on my face. He was a rather alternative fellow dressed in black with long hair riding a dirt bike, but on his arm was a traditional picnic basket with red and white cloth hanging out from it. He looked a bit emasculated if I do say so myself.

After the trip to the park, I met a big group for a delicious dinner of all the trimmings and ate myself silly.

I am training for an upcoming marathon soon. I just decided at the last minute to do a marathon next month, so not much time to train. Crazy? I definitely think so. I also watched the Ironman 70.3 Championships on television yesterday and it was so inspirational. I saw a man carry his disabled son throughout the race. They swam together, the dad carried him on his bike for all 56 miles, then pushed him as he ran the half marathon. They finished in over 8 hours, but what an accomplishment. The show also listed all those who won the lottery for the Ford Ironman Championships in Hawaii and my old coach in Utah was selected. Congrats Dave! Good luck to you.

I was biking on my trainer when I watched the show and it made me feel really lazy :(